Commonwealth Confidential

U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.) is considering running for governor in 2010, according to a statement released minutes ago. He has withstood repeated Democratic efforts, costing millions of dollars, to take him out ever since he was elected in his suburban Philadelphia district in 2002.

"Having been raised in a working class Western Pennsylvania household by a single mother, attending college and law school in Central Pennsylvania, combined with my years of public service in southeast

Pennsylvania

, I believe the statewide appeal may be there, which is why I am considering this very carefully," Gerlach said in the statement.

He said he would make a decision in the next few weeks. "It is quite possible there may be five or six Republican candidates for Governor running by the time the dust settles. An enthusiastic primary for Governor gives all of us who consider ourselves leaders in the Republican Party an opportunity to prove that we have the ability and new ideas that can best lead the Commonwealth," said Gerlach.

Gerlach served in the state House and Senate in the 1990s before winning a seat in Congress.